King Cormorant: Sun versus White Sky « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

King Cormorant: Sun versus White Sky

Stuff

I was in bed by 8:30pm on Thursday night and not feeling too bad. I fell asleep in minutes as I usually do. I woke at 2:20am unable to breath through my nose at all; in just a few hours my congestion had become a full fledged head cold. I am grateful that I do not have a sore throat. In any case I tried unsuccessfully to get back sleep so I got up and went to work on the new Southern Ocean Photography Guide. I am, in fact, feeling pretty good despite my runny nose. It is 9:15am as I type in the car on the way to MCO flying from Orlando to Denver where I meet my friend and Bosque co-leader Denise Ippolito. From there we take the short flight to ABQ. Tomorrow morning we make an early morning scouting run to Bosque and then meet the first group after dinner. The first IPT is one-over-the-limit sold out.

I put the finishing touches on this blog post at the airport in Denver. I am not feeling too, too bad. 🙂

Bosque IPT #2: Next to Last Chance: $200 Late Registration Discount Offer!

Try Jim in the office on Monday to sign up for the last spot on the second Bosque IPT. We have room for either one photographer or for a couple. See the complete details here.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.

Used Gear Cautions

Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request for photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear. Sellers are advised to take care to photograph their used gear with care against clean backgrounds so that the stuff is represented accurately and in the best light; please pardon the pun :).

New Listings

Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”)/Lowest-ever BAA Price for this item

Multiple IPT veteran Pat Fishburne is offering a used Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”) in excellent condition for sale for only $3799, the lowest-ever BAA price for this item. The sale includes the lens trunk, a LensCoat, the ET-138 Hood, the big leather E-163 Lens Cover, the rear cap, a Wimberley P-40 lens plate, the lens manual, all originally included accessories, and insured shipping via FedEx Ground.  Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Pat by e-mail or by phone at 919-593-0709 or 919-537-8006 (Eastern time zone). Photos available upon request.

As regular readers know the “old five” was the world’s most popular super telephoto lens for many years. I owned and used one for more than a decade. Pat’s lens is priced to sell immediately. artie

Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”)/Lowest-ever BAA Price for this item

Multiple IPT veteran Stokes Fishburne is offering a used Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”) in excellent condition for sale for only $3799, the lowest-ever BAA price for this item. The sale includes the lens trunk, a LensCoat, the ET-138 Hood, the big leather E-163 Lens Cover, the rear cap, a Wimberley P-40 lens plate, the lens manual, all originally included accessories, and insured shipping via FedEx Ground.  Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Stokes by e-mail or by phone at 919-593-0709 or 919-537-8006 (Eastern time zone). Photos available upon request.

As regular readers know the “old five” was the world’s most popular super telephoto lens for many years. I owned and used one for more than a decade. Pat’s lens is priced to sell immediately. artie

Featured Item

Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS lens with Internal 1.4X Extender

Kenton Rowe is offering a used Canon 200-400mm with Internal 1.4X Extender in Very Good condition for $9,799. The sale includes the Canon PL-C 52mm drop-in Circular Polarizing filter (a $240 value), the Canon E-145C Lens Cap (actually a lens hood made of tough synthetic fabric, the rear lens cap, the ET-120 Lens Hood, the lens trunk, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Kenton via e-mail or by phone at 406.465.6707 (Mountain time).

The 200-400 is a killer lens when you are working with tame birds or large mammals; can you say the Galapagos and Africa, the Southern Ocean, or Florida? artie


king-cormorant-sig-sun-head-portrait-in-sun-_y8a9917-bleaker-island-the-falklands_0

This image was created on Bleaker Island, the Falklands, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 401mm), the the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/10.

Center AF point (by necessity at f/8)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The center AF point was just forward of and above the bird’s eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #1: King Cormorant in sun, head portrait

King Cormorant’s Many Aliases

The cormorants of the Southern Ocean can be a confusing group. In different locations the local names for what are actually different species are often the same. Many species have several or even many different common names. On top of all that you can throw in the fact that the scientists often re-classify the varies species sometimes lumping them into a large super-species comprised of various races and then a year or two later splitting them into distinct species each with a given set of characteristics that often include various DNA markers. Whatever the state of the scientific species mumbo jumbo, each then-agreed-upon species has it own distinct scientific (Latin) name that always includes both the genus name and the species name. Sometimes a subspecific Latin name is added to form a trinomial species name.

The bird in today’s featured image is most commonly called King Cormorant in the Falklands where both of today’s images were created. Others might know the bird as King Shag, Imperial Cormorant, Imperial Shag, Blue-eyed Cormorant or Blue-eyed Shag.

You get the picture 🙂 In any case, today’s bird is Phalacrocorax atriceps.


king-cormorant-sig-head-portrait-_y5o3631-bleaker-island-the-falklands_0

This image was created on Bleaker Island, the Falklands with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the rugged professional body, the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Cloudy WB.

A single AF point (Manual selection) was two AF points to the right of the center AF point: AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The active AF point was right on the birds’s eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #2: High key King Cormorant head portrait on white sky day.

King Cormorant: Sun versus White Sky

Please leave a comment and let us know if you like the bright sun version, Image #1, or the high key/white sky version, Image #2. And be sure to let us know why. Which image features the nicest light? Which image features the nicest pose?

Induro $50 Instant Rebate

The Induro $50 instant rebate will last only until the end of this year. Click on the logo-link above to save $50 on our favorite tripods. On our recent grueling trip to the Southern Ocean Denise loved her new GIT 304 and I love my new GIT 304L. Both performed flawlessly in the mud, snow and ice.

Induro GIT 404L Super Sale!

For a limited time only the Induro GIT 404L is being offered for the ridiculously low price of $470 (including the $50 instant rebate). The Induro GIT 404L is a 4-leg section Grand Series tripod. It is slightly bigger and one pound heavier than the GIT 304L; it is the perfect tripod for those using big glass who would like a bit more stability.

Gura Gear Backpack Blowout

I do not use a backpack. But many of my and denise’s clients who do have long raved about the Guru Gear backpacks. As have many professionals. These great photo backpacks are being phased out and will not be replaced in their present form. Take advantage of the huge price reductions on three popular models, the Bataflae 26L, the Bataflae 32L, and the Bataflae 18L, and enjoy a superbly high quality backpack that with its sturdy, high end zippers and durable fabric will serve you well for many years.

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17 comments to King Cormorant: Sun versus White Sky

  • avatar Steve Soderling

    I really prefer the bright sun, blue sky and vivid colors of #1, although I do miss the eye detail you got in #2. Is there anything you could have done to get more eye detail in #1?

  • avatar Neil Hickman

    Looks like some darks were sacrificed in 1 and some whites sacrificed in 2. Unsharp tip of bill in 2 bugs me after viewing No 1. Isn’t sacrificing whites bordering on sinful? I like both images a lot and those eyebrows in 2 are just great. OK – a draw – I’m as weak as – – – !!!

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      When working in bright sun with birds with black and bright white plumage you will often sacrifice some detail in the blacks. The whites in both images have not been “sacrificed,” i.e over-exposed; the RGB values in the optimized images are in the mid-230s. Do understand that whenever you work high key in soft light some fine feather detail in the whites will be lost. artie

      ps: both denise and I have a strong preference here that I will share with you in a blog post at some point. Remind me if I don’t. 🙂

      artie

      • avatar Elinor Osborn

        I’m guessing you didn’t use your NIK Color Efex recipe on the high key image? If you didn’t, would using it on the whites give more detail there?

  • avatar Cheri

    Both images are striking, but I prefer the high key image #2. I love the clean white background and find it more appealing to my eye. I find the blue sky background to be distracting. IMHO . Kudos on another great image!

  • avatar David Peake

    Love both of them. The orange and blue are very striking.
    I would like to merge the best parts of them together .
    D

  • avatar Loren Charif

    I’d go with the richer colors in #1, although it’s missing the definition of the dozen or so little white feathers up a bit and to the right of the eye, which, for me, add a bit of interest.

  • avatar Larry Brown

    I like the first image, especially the color of the head. It seems washed out in the high key image.In the high key image, the white in the bird’s neck and the white background are very close to being identical in color. They nearly merge.

  • avatar Pat Fishburne

    Impressive image with your combination 7D II and 100-400 II lens! Gorgeous bird.

  • avatar Ross Taylor

    As an afterhought Arthur, the first exposure has more shadows which accentuate the shape of the head. The head in the high key version seems more 2-D or flat.

    All the best.
    Ross

  • avatar Ross Taylor

    I like both versions, for different reasons. The colors of the first are quite appealing. The head and the color of it’s plumage stand out nicely in the high key version. The high key version has more clearance to the top of the frame than the first shot.

    The high key BG to white neck transition seems less effective than the first shot. This lead me to the idea that an exposure of perhaps + 1 compensation may produce a light blue sky that would work well for all the colors of the bird.

    Take care,
    Ross

  • avatar Bill Richardson

    Much prefer the blue sky. It got a gasp from me when opening and that is my test for superiority. Gorgeous bird. I would have preferred a looser crop vertical though. BTW, nobody in the store? I am trying to buy one of the CRX% feet and think I need the taller one for gloved hand?

  • avatar Marr

    I prefer the pose in the sun, but like the image of the high key, better. The eye and accent “brow” is a nice plus. Well done!

  • avatar Elinor Osborn

    Beautiful colors in the sun version where the blue sky brings out the contrasting orange. I also like the sun version for: the whole bird (including bill tip) being sharp; more detail in the white; the bird filling the frame more so I feel right next to it; that perfectly raised crest. However I do like the eye of the high key bird more. I even like its nictitating membrane showing. And, like Bill, I like the detail in the dark feathers more than the sun version.

  • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

    Thanks Bill. Where in the world was it 6:27am this morning? It was 3:42 mountain time when I read your comment. If you are on the east coast then the Word Press clock is off an hour.

    As for your “humble and oft disputed opinion,” been there and done that 🙂

    a

  • avatar Bill Coatney

    FWIW,put me in the high key camp. If for no other reason than the eye detail. It also has better feather definition. I also like the clean look of the image.

    The sun image has wonderful saturation which initially grabs you but the detail is fighting the ‘micro high lights’ in my humble and oft disputed opinion.